Thursday 26 May 2022

I am excited to be hosting the blog tour for Before Beltane (Celtic Fervour Series) by Nancy Jardine #HistoricalFiction #RomanEmpire #AncientWorld @nansjar @maryanneyarde




Before Beltane 
(Celtic Fervour Series)
By Nancy Jardine


Two lives. Two stories. One future.

AD 71 Northern Britannia


At the Islet of the Priestesses, acolyte Nara greets each new day eager to heal the people at Tarras Hillfort. Weapon training is a guilty pleasure, but she is devastated when she is unexpectedly denied the final rites of an initiated priestess. A shocking new future beckons for Princess Nara of the Selgovae…


In the aftermath of civil war across Brigantia, Lorcan of Garrigills promotion of King Venutius is fraught with danger. Potential invasion by Roman legions from the south makes an unstable situation even worse. When Lorcan meets the Druid Maran, the future foretold for him is as enthralling as it is horrifying…


Meet Nara and Lorcan before their tumultuous meeting of each other in The Beltane Choice, Book 1 of the acclaimed Celtic Fervour Series.



Excerpt


Before Beltane

Nara-Sparring Partners


“Did they have trouble locating you today?” Cearnach’s words held suppressed amusement when she reached him. “Or did you forget where the practice grounds were?”


“No more than usual.” Nara’s reply was equally jocular, knowing that her father had set Cearnach many tasks during the last moon. “And you are as much to blame, as I am, for me not being here.”


“Ha! Will your skills be as rusty as that old bit of iron?” Cearnach joked.


Nara enjoyed sparring words with Cearnach as much as with their swords. “Time will tell, faithless one.”


A degree of affinity had grown between herself and Cearnach, who was only a few seasons older than she was. He had grown up at her father’s hillfort, though it was only recently that he had been given leave to train regularly with her.


“Iola asks that you do not injure me too badly today.” Unsurprisingly, Cearnach did not look in any way contrite when he said it.


Set on a different path in life from most of the women at Tarras, Nara’s role meant no opportunity to indulge in a normal close friendship with another female. She believed she was held in high esteem by some of the women who recognised her skills, though she had no doubt that she was spiritually feared by plenty of others who were in awe of her priestess powers.


Cearnach’s hearth-wife, Iola, was the one exception in the whole hillfort. Iola was naturally friendly, without any loss of deference or respect for Nara’s status. She was comfortable in Iola’s company, and in turn became just as relaxed with Cearnach’s presence, as well.


The warrior’s continued mirth made her suspicious.


“And what have you been doing to merit her asking this of me?” she asked.


“It is more about what your father has been asking me to do: tasks that have been stealing me from her side. So perhaps we had better get out there on the field, or you may find you have no training session at all if Callan requests me again.”


“Ah.” Nara paused till Cearnach moved past some other warriors to access a good space for them.


“And like the elders who keep their mouths locked when I ask what prompts my father’s recent flurry of activity regarding the safety of Tarras, will you be the same?” she asked.


“What I can say is that your father has had me out of the hillfort gaining information more times than my hearth-wife is happy about.”


Nara ensured she had his full concentration. “But this is surely good news. Callan must regard you now as a reliable messenger.”


Sarcasm dripped from Cearnach’s laugh. “That would be progress for me. The truth is that there are plenty of warriors ready to grovel at his feet, but they will do anything to steer clear of dangerous situations. They find ready excuses for them being unable to undertake Callan’s missions. Whereas I can find no credible reasons to avoid his errands.”


Cearnach held his sword ready as she whipped hers free of its scabbard. Talking during a practice session was not easy; however, they continued the conversation in snatches as they circled each other, intent on finding a weak spot to take advantage of.


“Why did he send you to Novantae shores?”


The clang of Cearnach’s blade on hers, parry after parry, sent strong ripples up her arm, even though she knew he was still holding back the bulk of his strength. He had the weight behind him, but she knew her feet were more agile than his.


She changed her foot stance, adjusted her shield angle and stabilised her knees before the next sword strike came her way. She doubled her grip and held firm when their blades clashed, blocking the chance for him to flick aside her weapon.


Cearnach withdrew his blade and readied it again. “Word came that Roman ships had been patrolling around the far tip of the firth.”


Nara had time to digest the words before she could speak again as the attack grew more intense. More moments of sword on sword ensued, and sometimes she managed to block his thrusts with her shield, till her arms ached. They covered some distance within their chosen space. Cearnach’s power behind his blade increased as he tested more of her stamina and expertise. When she was almost at the point of making a mistake Cearnach jumped back from her, retracting his sword.


“Concentrate on the challenge, Nara. Put that fiery dark-red hair of yours to good use and claim the tempestuous nature that usually goes with it. I could have had your arm off with that last swipe.”


She breathed deeply with the exertion, not yet acknowledging his last comment, her head bent, arms braced on her knees and her sword hanging limp at her side. Instead she asked, “Did you find anyone who had actually seen these ships?”


The clanging of iron blades around the field was formidably noisy as the opponents did all they could to win their bout.


Cearnach looked barely winded when she lifted her head.


“Not personally,” he said.


She circled slowly, while she watched him get ready to tackle her again.


“What I heard was from someone who had been told of ship movements by another person.” Cearnach’s voice rose as he raised his sword to swing. “Not the most reliable method of getting information.”


“And that would not be good enough for Callan,” she cried before she whacked Cearnach’s weapon out of reach. “He rarely gives time for reports to get back to Tarras. You will be back out of this hillfort in a blink.”


For a while she prowled around Cearnach, awaiting a best time to lunge, and took opportunities when Cearnach’s shield cover looked fragile. Her head was soon ringing, and she was sweating as though she had just walked out of the Lochan of the Priestesses. For some time she was unable to make any replies while she wielded her sword and used her shield to gain the upper hand, parrying skilfully enough to keep Cearnach at bay, the swords meeting high, low and in between.


“Keep up the foray, Nara!”


The voice from nearby distracted Cearnach just enough for Nara to flip his sword away in one desperate flick, after which her own sword point was close to his chin.


“Not fair play!” Cearnach mumbled to Iola as he held up his hands in defeat. “That was cheating.”


Iola stood waiting for them at the side of the field, her grins as wide as the open cave that lay high on the hillside above the Lochan of the Priestesses. “Nara never cheats. You know that, Cearnach the weak!” Iola’s giggles were irrepressible as she ran off before retribution could come for her remark.


This novel is available at Amazon

This novel is available to read with #KindleUnlimited subscription. 


Nancy Jardine


Nancy Jardine lives in the spectacular ‘Castle Country’ of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Her main writing focus has, to date, been historical and time travel fiction set in Roman Britain, though she’s also published contemporary mystery novels with genealogy plots. If not writing, researching (an unending obsession), reading or gardening, her young grandchildren will probably be entertaining her, or she’ll be binge-watching historical films and series made for TV. 

She loves signing/ selling her novels at local events and gives author presentations locally across Aberdeenshire. These are generally about her novels or with a focus on Ancient Roman Scotland, presented to groups large and small. Zoom sessions have been an entertaining alternative to presenting face-to-face events during, and since, the Covid 19 pandemic restrictions.

Current memberships are with the Historical Novel Society; Scottish Association of Writers; Federation of Writers Scotland, Romantic Novelists Association and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She’s self-published with the author co-operative Ocelot Press.


Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for giving me the opportunity to showcase this book

 




Wednesday 25 May 2022

I am excited to be hosting the blog tour Angels and Bandits by Brodie Curtis #BookReview #WW2 #HistoricalFiction @BrodieCurtis4 @maryanneyarde




Angels and Bandits
By Brodie Curtis


The Battle of Britain rages and two young RAF pilots from very different stations in life must somehow find common ground—and stay alive.


On the eve of World War II, working-class Eddy Beane is a flight instructor in London. He successfully completes dangerous espionage missions for Air Commodore Keith Park and takes on society-girl June Stephenson as a student. Her ex-fiancé, Dudley Thane, is also a flyer, but upper-class and Cambridge-educated. When the German Luftwaffe attacks England in 1940, Eddy and Dudley end up serving in the same Spitfire squadron. Aerial combat is intense, and both men show their skills and courage, but can they set aside jealousy and class differences to become fighting brothers for the defence of Britain? 


Review


An RAF pilot flying during World War II, soaring a glorious Spitfire through the air. Eddy didn’t come from a background that suggests he would be in RAF blue. He grew up in France, and moved to live with his aunt and uncle after the death of his mother. It is a visit from Commander Park, and an offer to let him experience flight that sets Eddy on the path of becoming a pilot, and evidently, fighting for both his adoptive country, and his home country.


I don’t know much about planes, but I didn’t need to. Reading this book settled me into the story and introduced the technical know-how as the story progressed, so I felt like I was actually learning how to fly a plane while reading. By the end, I was almost certain I had flown in a Spitfire Squadron, I was so immersed in the story — well, maybe not! The detail of the areal combat scenes was so perfect I could see every tilt of a wing, and every trail of smoke.


Of course, Eddy is not the only character in this book, there is no way he could go from tailor to RAF pilot without running into a few people along the way. First off, June is a pretty important character. It begins with her asking for flying lessons, and slowly becomes a relationship. Eddy finds himself in a different world around June, for she is upper-class, and he is very much not. In the same way, he finds his fellow RAF pilots to be of a different world. One in particular, Dudley Thane, was another interesting character. He used to be engaged to June, and Eddy finds himself in the same squadron as him. Not only is there a difference in their knowledge of seemingly trivial things like literature, but Dudley has it out for Eddy. After all, June would rather be with Eddy than Dudley. I loved how the conflict between Dudley and Eddy played out, especially since, somehow, I started to like both characters, rather than picking a side. 


This novel was absolutely impossible to put down, and I feel the author has completely succeeded in telling the story they set out to tell. This is the kind of book I would happily read again and again, and I miss it sorely now I have finished reading it. 


Angels and Bandits is available to purchase on Amazon UKAmazon USAmazon CAAmazon AUBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books

Brodie Curtis


Raised in the Midwest, Brodie Curtis was educated as a lawyer and left the corporate world to embrace life in Colorado with his wife and two sons. 

Curtis is the author of THE FOUR BELLS, a novel of The Great War, which is the product of extensive historical research, including long walks through the fields of Flanders, where much of the book's action is set. His second novel, ANGELS AND BANDITS, takes his protagonists into The Battle of Britain. Curtis is currently working on a novel set on a Mississippi Riverboat prior to the Civil War.

A lover of history, particularly American history and the World Wars, Curtis reviews historical fiction for the Historical Novels Review and more than 100 of his published reviews and short takes on historical novels can be found on his website: brodiecurtis.com.  





Wednesday 18 May 2022

I am excited to be hosting the blog tour for The Mesilla (The Two Valleys Saga, Book 1) by Mary Armstrong #BlogTour #HistoricalFiction #CoffeePotBookClub @authornotarthur @maryanneyarde




The Mesilla
(The Two Valleys Saga, Book 1)
By Mary Armstrong



At 14 years old, Jesus ‘Chuy’ Perez Contreras Verazzi Messi is too small and frail to work the land on the family farm near the Rio Bravo in Mexico. The local padre’s tutoring reveals Jesus’s unending curiosity and fertile mind. Noted Las Cruces, New Mexico attorney, and politician Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain, agrees to take his nephew under his wing. Jesus ‘reads law’ with his uncle and shares adventures and adversity with the Fountain family and other historic Mesilla and Tularosa Valley citizens. His coming-of-age story will take you into the wild southwest, a brewing range war, a territory struggling toward statehood, courtroom dramas, and the adventures and adversities of a boy’s quest for manhood. 

*A fictional memoir by Jesus about the ten years leading to the notorious and unsolved Fountain murders.



The Two Valleys Saga is available at your fabulous online bookstore.



Mary Armstrong


Mary lives in the heart of one of the ‘Two Valleys’ in Las Cruces New Mexico, with her husband Norman ‘Skip’ Bailey, Jr. and their Cavachon child-dog, Java. In 2017 she wrote the one-act play, “It is Blood,” which was selected for a performance by the Las Cruces Community Theatre. Whereas the Two Valleys series is a prequel to the notorious and unsolved murders of Albert J. Fountain and his eight-year-old son, “It is Blood,” is a sequel to those events. 

After winning an award for her debut historic fiction novel “The Mesilla,” Mary has decided to focus on that genre — at least for the foreseeable future. Her writing is fast-moving, thought-provoking and with just enough wordsmithing to satisfy your artistic hankerings. While her writing has literary merit, she strives to capture the moment — the time and the place — and help you live in that moment.

Before releasing her debut novel, Mary dabbled in creative writing, including a weekly column in the Las Cruces Sun News. Since retiring from a diverse career in various planning and design fields, she has devoted herself more fully to her writing, being a good spouse, serving her dog Java, and slipping away to the golf course when left unchained to the desk. 


Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for giving me the opportunity to showcase this novel.







Wednesday 11 May 2022

I am excited to be hosting the blog tour for The Alcoholic Mercenary by Phil Hughes #BookReview #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @Phil_Hughes_Nov @maryanneyarde

 



The Alcoholic Mercenary
By Phil Hughes


They said, “See Naples and then die!”

Rachel had thought it was to do with the natural beauty of the place. A misconception she soon lost after climbing down from the C130 troop carrier. The suspicious death of her predecessor, followed by the murder of a sailor, and an enforced liaison with a chauvinistic and probably corrupt cop saw to that.

“See Naples and then die!”

Some said the saying was anonymous. Some attributed it to Goethe. Still, others said it was Lord Byron, or maybe Keats. When the young brother of a mercenary hitman became her main suspect, Rachel leant towards Keats. Didn’t the poet die here? Somewhere near, for sure. Probably coined the phrase on his deathbed.
And then, the cherry on the top of her ice cream soda, she could smell grappa on the breath of the mercenary when she interviewed him. The only thing worse than a violent man: a violent man who drinks.

The only thing worse than a violent man who drinks: a violent man who drinks and considers himself Rachel’s enemy.


It is said that once you have seen the city of Naples, you can die peacefully since nothing else can match its beauty. Well, that is not the case in this book! Yes, the characters face death head-on, but there is not a lot of beauty in the underworld that is ruled by powerful organised crime syndicates. And hence we have the setting for The Alcoholic Mercenary by Phil Hughes.

I thought this story was wonderfully narrated. At times it felt like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. It has all the ingredients of a bestselling crime thriller. The author has captured the era as well, the late 1970s may not seem that long ago to some, but so much has changed since then and it was interesting to read about a familiar world without all the bells and whistles that come with the modern-day. I especially enjoyed reading about Agent Rachel Welch and how she navigated a world where men dominated. 

Although I enjoyed reading about Rachel I found it more difficult to connect with Boccone. He is one complex individual and as soon as I thought I had got a handle on his character he goes off and does something else. I guess his unpredictability helped move the story forward, but I did not care for him the way I did Rachel and I am not sure if the author wanted me to care for him. He is a loose cannon that can go off at any moment. 

I think this book would certainly appeal to those who like historical crime fiction. It was certainly a good read and one I enjoyed very much.


The Alcoholic Mercenary is available on #KindleUnlimited

Phil Hughes

Although educated in Classical Studies, Phil is the author of several historical crime novels. Having spent many years living in the Mafia infested hinterlands of Naples, Phil bases his nov-els on his experiences while living there. Much of what he includes in his stories is based on real events witnessed first-hand.
 
Having retired from writing and editing technical documentation for a living, Phil now lives in Wexford with his partner and their border terriers, Ruby, Maisy, and the new addition Ted. He writes full time and where better to do it than in the Sunny South East of Ireland.
 
Social Media Links:


Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
 





Tuesday 10 May 2022

I am excited to be hosting the blog tour Unlike Any Other by Edward Londergan #BookReview #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @edlondergan @maryanneyarde



Unlike Any Other
By Edward Londergan



The Story of An 18th Century Woman from A Prominent New England Family Who Went from A Life of Privilege to The Gallows


Bathsheba Spooner was the daughter of Timothy Ruggles, a general in the French and Indian War, president of the Stamp Act Congress, Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and a leading loyalist in Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War; the epitome of upper class.


Like her father, Bathsheba was smart, strong-willed, and a staunch British loyalist. Forced to marry a man she did not love, Bathsheba withstood her husband’s abuse for years until a young Continental soldier entered her life. But when this well-heeled mother of three small children discovered she was pregnant with the soldier’s child, her thoughts quickly turned to murder.


Based on a true story, the events that follow Bathsheba’s life, her decisions, and her ultimate demise will show readers that Bathsheba Spooner was, in fact, Unlike Any Other . . .



Book Trailer




When you get married, you want to marry for love. Bathsheba certainly does, she dreams of finding the perfect gentleman, who will love her, and be able to keep up with the lifestyle she is used to. She is bitterly disappointed when her father announces she must marry Joshua Spooner, who is not at all the man she dreamed of. She might love her father deeply, but this is one decision that will change her entire life.

Bathsheba is an incredibly strong woman, both in what she deals with, and the way she keeps her opinions her own. Joshua makes it very clear what his opinions on women and marriage are, that he owns her and everything she ever owned, and that he can do what he likes, but she must do as she is told. Bathsheba is anything but submissive, and their personalities clash. She is not afraid to stand up for herself, or others, but she is in a situation she cannot escape, and Joshua won’t let her always get her own way.

The dream man Bathsheba so desired does arrive eventually, but too late, for she is married. Yet, she cannot help but feel for him what she, as a married woman, should not. It was interesting to follow Bathsheba’s train of thought as she tried to figure out how to escape her situation. It began with simply leaving, going to join her father and fight the loyalist cause, but as that idea became increasingly impossible, her thoughts and plans darken. I don’t think I have ever read a book before where the main character becomes so intent on getting someone to commit murder. Bathsheba is so determined to escape, and she fixates on the idea of Joshua meeting with an ‘accident’ to save herself.

You know how this story will end before it even begins. It mentions it in the blurb, and the prologue is technically also the ending. Yet, you can’t help but hope something will happen, and Bathsheba will finally get the freedom she so desperately seeks. This is a story of entrapment, of having freedom and happiness, but losing everything. Even if you have never heard of Bathsheba Spooner before, if you are curious as to ‘How An 18th Century Woman from A Prominent New England Family Went from A Life of Privilege to The Gallows’, you absolutely should read this book.

This novel is available at the following bookstores: Amazon UKAmazon USAmazon CAAmazon AUBarnes & Noble,  WaterstonesKoboHudson BooksellersIndieboundBooks-A-Million

Edward Londergan

Ed Londergan is the author of the award-winning books The Devils’ Elbow and The Long Journey Home. Having researched American history for many years, he is a frequent speaker with a focus on colonial Massachusetts. A graduate of Holy Cross, he lives in Warren, Massachusetts. 


WebsiteTwitterFacebookLinkedInInstagramAmazon Author PageGoodreads


Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for giving me the opportunity to showcase this novel.







Thursday 5 May 2022

I am excited to be hosting the blog tour for The Missionary by Rowena Kinread #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @RowenaKinread @maryanneyarde

 




The Missionary
By Rowena Kinread



Patricius, a young man of Britannia, is taken from his home and family when Gaelic pirates attack his village. On his arrival in Ireland, he is sold as a slave to the cruel underking of the Dalriada tribe in the north. Six years later, Patricius manages to escape. His journey takes him through France to Ravenna in Italy. His subsequent plans to return to Britannia are side-tracked when he finds himself accompanying several monks to the island monastery on Lerinus. His devotion to his faith, honed during his captivity, grows as he studies with the monks.Haunted by visions of the Gaels begging him to return to Ireland and share the word of God with them, Patricius gains support from Rome and his friends to return to the land of his captivity. His arrival is bitterly opposed by the druids, who have held power over the Irish kings for many years, and he and his companions must combat the druids to succeed in their God-given mission.

Excerpt

Patricius noticed a group of four young men travelling together. They had tonsures and wore the coarse brown habits of monks. They were so thin that their shoulder blades stuck out prominently under their clothes. They carried nothing with them. The sky was sapphire and the sun shone brightly, making Patricius blink. It was only the middle of February but already the wayside was full of heavily scented yellow tree blossoms. Suddenly one of the monks collapsed. Someone shouted and the travellers stopped. The man was carried to some shade under a tree and given some water.

“He’ll be all right soon,” one of his fellow monks maintained. “It’s just a dizzy spell. He’ll be fine in an hour or so.”

“I’m sorry, but we cannot wait for him,” the leader of the caravan stated. “We must continue, but if you wait until tomorrow, another group will be coming, and you can join them.” 

“Yes, of course. You must continue. We shall rest until tomorrow.”

“Will you be all right alone?” Patricius asked. “Have you food, water and blankets? I cannot see your bags.”

“We’ll be fine, don’t worry. We have travelled far but have nearly reached our destination. We don’t need food.”

Patricius saw blood around the man’s gums. “No. You don’t look well. I’ll stay with you; I have enough for all of us.” Patricius then spoke to the other travellers. “Continue,” he said to them. “I shall stay here with these four men.”

Whilst the caravan disappeared in the distance, Patricius started gathering wild sage. He gave the four monks some leaves to chew on and then put the rest in a pot with some water. He made a small fire to boil the water. Unpacking his bags, he pulled out a blanket to make the monk, who had fainted, more comfortable. 

“Make him drink more water,” he told one of the men. “One sip at a time. Drink yourselves, also. Here is some bread. Chew it slowly. Your stomachs are not used to food; you have fasted for too long. Your gums are bleeding. The sage will help. Soon the sage tea will also be ready.”

“Thank you. You are a good man. Are you a medicus?”

“Oh goodness, no! I lived in Hibernia for six years and worked as a shepherd. The man who taught me, Daithi, often had toothache. He used to chew sage leaves and drink sage tea. He said that the druids had told him to do so, and that it helped. So I hope it will stop your gums bleeding. When the tea is ready, don’t swallow it immediately, but swill it around in your mouths first.”

The sun went down; the sky was streaked indigo and grey. The monks shivered. Patricius gathered more wood for the fire, and they sat down around it. 

“You said you had journeyed far. Where do you come from?” Patricius asked.

“We’ve come from Achaia and are going to the island of Lerinus. It’s not much further now.”

“Lerinus? I’ve never heard of it. Where is it?”

“It’s just a small island, off the coast from Canua.”

“Why do you want to go there?”

“We want to join Honoratus who has founded a monastery there.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. Tell me more. Who is Honoratus?”

“Well, he’s the son of a Roman consul and was born in the north of Gaul. He and his brother converted to Christianity. They embarked on a journey to visit the holy places of Palestina and the laurae of Syria and Aegyptus. But his brother died, and Honoratus had to return. He came here, to the south of Francia. In Fréjus, Honoratus was ordained priest by the bishop, Leontius. Honoratus wanted to live a simple life, as a hermit in solitude, and Leontius persuaded him to take up his abode on the island of Lerinus. It was in his diocese. Many Christians, priests and theologians, heard about the island and have followed Honoratus there. He’s been there two years now and it is already known as a religious centre.”

“What about the people who already lived there, did they have to leave?”

“Oh, no! The island was uninhabited. Nobody wanted to live there. It was infested by snakes. You couldn’t put your foot on the ground without treading on one.” 

“Ugh, that’s horrible! Did Honoratus get rid of the snakes?”

“I expect so, but it is not important to us. We want to live the austere life he is teaching and study Christian beliefs.”

“I believe in God. There are many questions I have. Maybe Honoratus can help me. May I come with you?”

“Honoratus turns nobody away, but it is not a luxury, everyone must work.” 

“Of course. I’m used to manual work, that doesn’t bother me.”

In the night it started to rain, extinguishing the fire.

“I think we should start moving,” Patricius said. “We should go to the next tavern and shelter.”

“But isn’t it too dangerous to travel alone?” one of the monks asked.

Patricius studied the four thin, bedraggled men with no bags. They were in a truly sorry state.

“If thieves see us on the road, I think they’ll wait for more worthwhile victims.” Patricius smiled. He held out his hand to help a monk up from the ground. The monk’s bones were so thin that Patricius was scared to grip him tightly lest the bone crumble beneath his fingers. Their feet and shins looked like those of skeletons. They set off along the road. Moving kept them warmer, and after just seven miles they reached a tavern. Patricius held the door open for the monks but they didn’t want to enter.

“You go in, we’ll wait outside.”

“Either we all go in, or none of us.” Patricius replied. “Come on, we’ll get some breakfast. Don’t worry, I’ll pay.”

“It’s not that…” the monks dithered.

“For goodness sake, come in now!” Patricius ordered. “It’s all very well fasting, but you look as if you’ll drop dead any second now. I thought you wanted to go to Lerinus.”

The monks entered the tavern and they all sat down at a table. The innkeeper brought them hot soup, bread, wine and water. It was a humble meal but they warmed up inside and their clothes dried. The monks thanked Patricius and one of them tried to explain their hesitancy.

“We are ascetics. It is our way of life to forego sensual pleasures, in order to pursue spiritual goals. We renounce material possessions and fast to meditate upon religious matters.” 

“That’s all very well,” Patricius answered, “but our bodies need food and water to live. Without these basic needs you will die. Wouldn’t it be better to live and support people who need help?” As Patricius spoke, an idea started forming in his mind. An idea how to spend the rest of his life: helping people less fortunate than himself and spreading the word of Christianity.

This novel is available at the following bookstores:
This book is available to read on #KindleUnlimited

Rowena Kinread


Rowena Kinread grew up in Ripon, Yorkshire. After leaving school she started working for Lufthansa in Stuttgart. There she met her future husband whom she married in Ripon. After raising 3 children, she began working as a secretary in a private physiotherapy practice. At the same time, she started writing non-fiction books and magazine articles. Retirement finally brought the financial security to start writing full length fiction. A keen interest in history and her own family ancestry inspired her debut novel “The Missionary”, the dramatic story about the life of St.Patrick.  A second book “The Scots of Dalriada” will be published this year. Ms. Kinread says that she welcomed retirement and all its wonderful opportunities to launch a third career.


Social Media Links:

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Thank you to The Coffee Pot Book Club for giving me the opportunity to showcase this novel.






I am excited to be hosting the blog tour for The Hearts of All on Fire by Alana White #HistoricalMystery #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour @alanawhite1480 @cathiedunn

The Hearts of All on Fire By Alana White Florence, 1473.  An impossible murder. A bitter rivalry. A serpent in the ranks. Florentine investi...